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POSTER ART
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FILM DETAILS
Certificate
12A
Cast
Scoot McNairy
Whitney Able.
Directors
Gareth Edwards.
Screenwriters
Gareth Edwards.
Running Time
93 minutes

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Monsters
Exemplary sci-fi road movie-come-love story

Plot
Kaulder (McNairy) is an American photojournalist working in Central America. After a phone call, he’s compelled to pick up his boss’ daughter, Sam (Able), from hospital and see that she gets back home to America safely. Thus begins a fraught journey — and a tentative romance — as a series of mishaps force the pair to trek through ‘The Infected Zone’, a strip of land along the US border inhabited by gigantic extra-terrestrial creatures.

Review
Monsters
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Shoestring films live or die by the strength of their ideas. Often those ideas are all they have, the means by which they transcend their pecuniary limitations. And the best ideas achieve such transcendence by using those limitations. Found-footage movies seem ten-a-penny these days, but who can forget the primally terrifying impact The Blair Witch Project achieved with but three cast members, one camera and one patch of dank woodland? Open Water didn’t need more than two actors treading brine to achieve its desolate discomfort; in fact, it required it. And to put himself on the surprisingly short road to The Dark Knight and Inception, Christopher Nolan constructed for himself a noir narrative that required only a few real-location interiors, his debut Following entwined around the theme of mere petty burglary.

You wonder if Monsters — shot using one camera on location with a professional cast of two — will yet prove to be Gareth Edwards’ own Following. Indeed, comparing him with the Nolan of 1998, who then had only a few shorts to his CV, Edwards immediately appears more likely to be one day commanding vast budgets and crafting towering visual-effects spectacles. As well as having some TV directing experience (including a BBC programme on Attila The Hun and two episodes of Perfect Disasters), he’s also an established digital effects artist, and it’s this skill in particular that in Monsters serves him so well — and so well services his idea: that, quite simply, of a character-based road movie which takes place just after, or just beside, an alien invasion.

Not only does Edwards carry the credits of writer and director, he’s also Monsters’ director of photography, production designer and, crucially, visual-effects supervisor. So rather than the film’s VFX considerations being couched as the usual “Can we?” dialogues (e. g. “Can we fix that in post?”), they were more a case of “I can” — and at that with just a fraction of the processing power afforded even the sloppiest summer blockbuster. So, for example, Edwards knew that, while he couldn’t exactly have his creatures swarming around the frame like Spielberg-summoned tripods or Cameron-conjured Na’vi, he could still afford at least one full-reveal shot (and achieve this avoiding even Cloverfield’s home-movie-Godzilla aesthetic).

Frankly, anyone can shoot an on-the-hoof road-movie romance. But Edwards has gone one step beyond, shooting an on-the-hoof road-movie romance set against an epic backdrop of devastation, a ruined landscape littered with rusting hulks of military hardware and featuring giant aliens (both living and slaughtered) that are as realistic and compelling as the central human relationship.

Edwards’ creatures are astonishingly rendered: pylon-sized hybrids of octopus, giraffe and jellyfish, balletically stalking through the night, their bioluminescent tentacles seemingly as capable of tenderness as they are devastation. They are perfectly alien, existing on an entirely different scale and on an entirely different level of sentience — one which you surmise humanity couldn’t ever hope to understand. We might as well try and ask a fireworks display to take us to its leader.

Admirably, Edwards doesn’t spell any of this out — in fact, aside from one scene involving alien eggs and an explanation as to why the Zone is considered ‘Infected’, his script (or semi-script, to be more accurate) is all about suggestion rather than dictation. Comparisons with Cloverfield have been rife, as they have with Neill Blomkamp’s excellent District 9, but Monsters is far subtler, more sensitive and humane than either — which does sound strange for a movie in which an outsize extra-terrestrial hurls a car through the air.

It’s not just the blockbuster-level VFX which belie the film’s teensie budget. Edwards’ photography is rich, crisp and lush, suffering neither the muddiness of cheap film nor the coldness of digital. And despite the single-camera set-ups, non-professional supporting cast and (albeit CG-garnished) found locations, it doesn’t feel like a faux documentary, either. At times, no doubt inspired by its largely rainforest setting, Monsters even exhibits the lyrical surrealism of Werner Herzog’s jungle excursions, with vehicles stranded in canopies and one astonishing moment when a previously submerged fighter jet breaks the surface of a river, tail-fin first, like a tarnished metal shark.

The talent’s not just behind the camera. While Kaulder (Scoot McNairy) and Sam’s (Whitney Able) double-helixed character arc is familiar — how could a man and woman go on a life-changing journey and not fall in love with each other, unless it’s not happening in a movie? — the relationship beats for the most part feel natural, unforced, with the principals achieving an on-screen syncopy largely through an improvisation that’s fuelled by the fact they’re a real-life couple. Both do start as recognisable ‘types’: he the cynical professional with a well-buried heart, she the damaged little rich girl with a fat diamond on her ringfinger. And along the way, we do spot a few obvious emotional signposts. (At one point, Sam chides Kaulder for choosing a profession which depends on the suffering of others, and he points out how much more money he’ll earn for a photo of a dead infant than a happy one. No prizes for guessing what happens later when Kaulder and Sam do find a creature-slain child…) Even so, by the film’s eerily beautiful climax you’ll be praying that everything works out for them, that the couple get to spend the rest of their lives together. Able and McNairy’s simmering chemistry is undeniable, at its strongest during a playful scene in which a sozzled Kaulder clumsily attempts to seduce Sam at her hotel-room doorway.

Monsters’ relation to the mumblecore scene, that bedheaded clutch of semi-improv’d American-indie character studies, has already been noted. But it’s less a mumblecore movie with monsters than it is a sci-fi picture which never loses sight of the human factor. Like all good sci-fi — arguably all sci-fi — it’s a movie which works as allegory as well as entertainment.

It’s telling that the aliens in Edwards’ story are never referred to as ‘monsters’. The prevalent word is “creatures”. Which begs the question: to what does the film’s title, so unashamedly B movie (all it needs is a dripping font and an exclamation mark on the end), refer? One scene suggests the most obvious answer. Before entering The Infected Zone, Kaulder and Sam have a night out, their boozy revelry interrupted by the sobering sight of hundreds of candle-lit photos of casualties. But, it’s claimed, the creatures aren’t responsible for most of these deaths; it’s the imprecise and disproportionate American bombing raids on the creatures. Then there’s the sound of helicopters overhead, and the candles snuff out. Later we’re informed that the creatures never really bother anyone unless they’re bothered first. So it proves: throughout the film, there’s no creature attack that isn’t presaged by US military presence or the sound of jet turbines and gunfire, while the preponderance of wrecked-vehicle-decorated foliage suggests that such destructive hardware itself represents a monstrosity to these (most likely) unwilling immigrants.

Perhaps that’s overthinking it, but therein lies the beauty of Monsters: out of its one, strong, central idea bloom several others, ripe for the audience to pick. And that’s evidence of both shoestring and sci-fi filmmaking at its best.

Verdict
An amazing achievement for a ‘first-time’ filmmaker, which measures up to the finest indies for performance and character-work, and the biggest blockbusters for jaw-dropping effects. And it has the year’s best sex scene, too.

Reviewed by Dan Jolin

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Monsters

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Monsters

Albeit more dramatized than "Monsters" suggest, this is one of the most unique science fiction and even more, one of the best love stories ever put to film. Truly stunning cinematography and vivid storytelling bring this tale of politics, fear, and hope to beautiful life. ... More
Posted by norgizfox at 01:46, 17 December 2012 | Report This Post
RE: Monsters

I love how even now this movie divides audiences - I think expectations have a part to play in this - the marketing didn't help. It is less Godzilla and more Lost In Mothra. But that is what I love about it. I am a sucker for world building and much like District 9, the land of Monsters feels real - you believe that yes, giant squid monsters are roaming the land. Not sure how I feel about a sequel which has more of a plot. The handheld random feel of the film really added something. The s... More
Posted by Rgirvan44 at 01:07, 23 August 2012 | Report This Post
Monsters

I recognize that Monsters is not your average sci-fi/alien invasion/monster movie. But, I liked the fact that it is more meditative, like Empire's review says, on the psychological aspects of desolation and things of the sort. The "sex" scene is, as odd as it may sound, gorgeous. For me, personally, was a fresh take on the contemporary sci-fi genre. I really liked it. ... More
Posted by nc_jj at 05:23, 12 August 2012 | Report This Post
Monsters (2010)

A real surprise. When reading the plot of this film you don't know what to expect, you'd ever love it or hate it. But, the film suddenly opens up into a classy shot science fiction film to rival the awesome story of Donnie Darko and the magnificent Blade Runner as one of the best films ever. A genius plot and premise and great acting and effects, Monsters is the best film of the year and one of the best films ever made. A classic on all counts and reasons, classic shoot, original plot, great... More
Posted by The Grimeanator at 23:17, 06 August 2012 | Report This Post
Loved it

I absolutely loved this movie. Thoughtful, intelligent and beautifully acted. The relationship between the two cast members is entirely natural, the photography is simply stunning - every single frame is seducing, the way Edwards offsets colour is truly artistic. The reason people don't seem to like it is because they're too used to seeing blood, guts and vulgarity - film goers can't sit still for 5 minutes without some sort of violent cheap thrill. This is the best alien monster mov... More
Posted by triplej at 01:24, 13 July 2012 | Report This Post

Never 5 stars in a millions years but I still liked it ... More
Posted by david hayes at 02:42, 08 June 2012 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

To be fair to this,i think if JJ got his hands on it,it would be unwatchable. ... More
Posted by thetruth at 21:48, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

L: Rgirvan44 L: DONOVAN KURTWOOD i think it's a little hard for any of us to say what it will be like at this stage think we can safely assume it will involve a giant monster rampaging through a city or two. t be a road movie where we don't see him at all.... ... More
Posted by thetruth at 21:46, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

Monsters. Great little film. I appreciated the focus on the people living in a changed world rather than focusing on the creatures living in ours, you always feel thier presence but they are never the focus. It's a nice change from the "hey, look at our CG budget!" (JJ Abrams...) attitude alot of other films take. Visuals are gorgeous too, lends an epic scale to a simple story. ... More
Posted by Scott_ at 20:56, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

you think? ... More
Posted by DONOVAN KURTWOOD at 20:29, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

L: DONOVAN KURTWOOD i think it's a little hard for any of us to say what it will be like at this stage think we can safely assume it will involve a giant monster rampaging through a city or two. ... More
Posted by Rgirvan44 at 20:22, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

i think it's a little hard for any of us to say what it will be like at this stage ... More
Posted by DONOVAN KURTWOOD at 20:18, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

You guys are aware that his Godzilla won't be anything like Monsters, right? ... More
Posted by Rgirvan44 at 19:44, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

L: thetruth Hmmmm....Godzilla+Edwards....ote] Ya it worries me that he has got the new Godzilla film. But it could turn out to be good have to wait and see. crossed. ... More
Posted by NCC1701A at 19:29, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

Hmmmm....Godzilla+Edwards.... ... More
Posted by thetruth at 18:05, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

yeah i heard, for lionsgate i believe. Should be interesting, although i am a HUGE fan of Emmerich's 1998 Godzilla, and i know they'll want to distance themselves from that. Although Edwards involvement does bode very well obviously ... More
Posted by DONOVAN KURTWOOD at 17:16, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

Apparently he's doing Godzilla next. ... More
Posted by Deviation at 17:06, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

yeah it was really good. Im looking forward to seeing what Edwards does next. he's very talented and his gift for CG is astounding. I think that's the most impressive thing about the movie for me, the fx he achieved and their believability. ... More
Posted by DONOVAN KURTWOOD at 17:01, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

I'm really surprised you liked it. That's all. ... More
Posted by Deviation at 16:52, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

for a second there i thought id posted in the wrong thread, but we are talking about Monsters so thats ok ... More
Posted by DONOVAN KURTWOOD at 16:33, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

L: DONOVAN KURTWOOD i liked this movie, a lot more than i thought i might link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g9WjcGdxuM]http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g9WjcGdxuM ... More
Posted by Deviation at 16:29, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

i liked this movie, a lot more than i thought i might ... More
Posted by DONOVAN KURTWOOD at 16:23, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

I do know the difference between subjective and objective.And irony. You like this for the very reasons i dont.You see strengths where i see weaknesses.You see depth where i see superficiality. Such is the joy of film.This isnt the worst film ever,but i´d certainly never watch it again. As road movies go,i find it lacks any soul and doesnt capture my interest,never mind emotion.That is the difference to a film like the Road which did for me. Just being subjective mind. ... More
Posted by thetruth at 16:20, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

But what does this have to do with hing osted before..... two central characters in the film do represent the only 2 dimensional humans in it. The rest are cliched cannon fodder.They are background noise. ow were the others cliched? They were barely mentioned in the film, just shown and cyphers to the plot which the characters interacted with just to get to the States. e film plays like a road movie where nothing really happens. side from "nothing really happens" is a poor crit... More
Posted by Deviation at 14:09, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
RE: Action Packed? Please.

Yes,but it annoyed people like myself who felt a bit conned when seeing the actual film. ... More
Posted by thetruth at 13:42, 04 September 2011 | Report This Post
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MonstersExemplary sci-fi road movie-come-love story

Monsters
Exemplary sci-fi road movie-come-love story